Mama Africa - Mirium Makeba

The South African icon Miriam Makeba, affectionately known as Mama Africa, passed this past Monday after performing at a concert in Southern Italy against organized crime. This was a demonstration of how she used her talents as a musician to uplift society.

Makeba stepped on the international stage when she appeared in the anti-apartheid documentary “Come Back, Africa” in 1959. At one point Mama Africa lived in exile for speaking out against the system. In 1960 her attempt to return home to South Africa for her mother’s funeral was denied. In 1963, she made a moving speech when she appeared before the United Nations (UN) Special Committee on Apartheid calling for an international boycott of South Africa. Her musical contribution was a factor in bringing down apartheid.

The South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma stated that, “One of the greatest songsters of our time, Miriam Makeba has ceased to sing.”